Google I/O 2012 sold out faster than it ever has (28 minutes) and tickets were in such high demand that even Google – King of Data Center Optimization – couldn’t handle all the requests. That led to plenty of angry developers who complained that the first come, first serve model doesn’t work.

Well, if you’re interested in Google TV and near Silicon Valley starting April 20, 2012, you could try to get into I/O through a meritocracy.

SVAndroid is hosting a Google TV Hackathon at Google’s campus in Mountain View. The hackathon is a two and a half day event in which attendees will get together and try to build an app/product for Google TV and present to a panel of judges. According to Google Android Developer Advocate Rich Hyndman, 50 tickets for Google I/O 2012 will be distributed to hackathon winners.

All of the details on the event can be found at this MeetUp page, and users can get more info at the +Google TV Hackathon page. (Registration is limited, so get on it now.) Aside from the hackathon, there will also be presentations about Google TV development and office hours to speak with Google devs.

A number of developers who I’ve met at previous I/O events won’t be attending this year, so I hope those of you in the Valley can use this as a stepping stone to gain entry. Heck, you might even come up with a viable app for Google TV that you can continue working on or impress someone in attendance. If you do manage to win, be sure to say hello if you spot me at I/O in June.